Giuseppe Colucci (historian)

Giuseppe Colucci (Ripatransone, July 24, 1752 – Fermo, February 15, 1809) was an Italian historian, antiquarian, and scholar of the Marche region. He is best known for his monumental 28-volume history of the Piceno region, Antichità Picene.

Colucci was born into a noble family. He received a solid education, focusing on classical literature, history, and philology. He was a member of several learned societies and academies. He dedicated a significant portion of his life to researching and documenting the history, archaeology, and artistic heritage of the Piceno area, the ancient territory that corresponds roughly to the modern region of Marche in Italy.

His magnum opus, Antichità Picene o sia memorie storiche delle città, de' castelli, delle chiese, de' monasteri, de' monti, de' fiumi, de' laghi, delle valli, delle strade, de' ponti, de' costumi, delle arti, delle scienze, degli uomini illustri e di tutto ciò che può servire ad illustrare la storia antica e moderna del Piceno, is a comprehensive and detailed account of the region's past. Though considered by some modern historians to be uneven in its historical accuracy and sometimes overly reliant on local traditions and legends, it remains an invaluable source of information due to its meticulous documentation of primary sources and its description of sites and artifacts, many of which no longer exist or have been altered significantly over time.

Colucci's other works include treatises on local history and antiquities, and biographies of notable figures from the Piceno region. His work has been essential for subsequent scholarship on the history of the Marche and continues to be consulted by historians and archaeologists today. He is considered a key figure in the development of regional historical studies in Italy. He died in Fermo in 1809.